Award-winning films from Israel and other countries at the Boston Jewish Film Festival, Nov. 1-11

Jody Feinberg

Powerful human stories transcend nationality, and the 19th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival is packed with award-winning films from Israel and other countries about the experiences of Jews that speak to anyone interested in cinema.

“We’re showing some world-class films that you don’t need to be Jewish to enjoy,” said Sara Rubin, executive director of the BJFF, which runs Nov. 1-11. “Our aim was to get the best crop of Israeli films.”

Many of the 40 features, documentaries and short films in this year’s festival are from Israel, with the rest from 11 other countries. Shown in eight
theaters in and around Boston, the film festival includes the winner of the prestigious Camera d’Or for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as three North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and 14 New England premieres.

“The Cemetery Club” has its New England premiere at Showcase Cinemas in Randolph on Nov. 7. Directed by Tali Shemesh, the documentary tells the story of elderly Polish-born Holocaust survivors who meet in a weekly social club at a Jerusalem cemetery, where their acquired wisdom and loss shape their engagement with contemporary life.

“People hear the word Holocaust and think that it must be a sad film, but that’s not the case with this one,” Rubin said. “It’s about people who have survived a catastrophe and are growing old gracefully.”

Also showing in Randolph is “Three Mothers,” an intriguing, beautifully acted Israeli film that traces 60 years in the lives of three Jewish sisters, triplets who immigrated from Egypt and remain devoted to each other despite personal failings and traumas.

Many of the Israeli films feature fictional and real people who are immigrants, facing the challenges of immigrants all over the world. They come from places that might surprise American viewers, Rubin said.

“There’s a mix that people don’t often think about when they think of Israel,” she said.
“Jellyfish,” a winner at the Cannes Film Festival, tells the story of modern Israeli life through a trio of women, including a Filipino domestic worker. “A Hebrew Lesson” is a Israeli documentary featuring women from China, Peru and Russia. And “What a Wonderful Place,” Israel’s 2006 Oscar submission, is a drama about the unlikely convergence of a Thai agricultural worker, a Philippine caretaker and a
Ukrainian woman ensnared in a prostitution ring.

Following the Nov. 3 showing of “What a Wonderful Place,” director Eyal Halfon speaks, one of many speakers that enhance the films. Three Israeli film directors, for example, speak about Israeli cinema during a free panel discussion moderated by
film festival artistic director Kaj Wilson on Nov. 4.

A different sort of story that is told for the first time is “Beaufort,” the first Israeli film to explore the the country’s 18-year war with Lebanon. For this film, director Joseph Cedar won the coveted Silver Bear Award for Best Director at the 2007 Berlinale, and he will be present at the Nov. 8 and 10 screenings.

Two films with Boston-area connections already are sold out for the evening performances, although matinee tickets remain available. “The Powder and the Glory,” directed by Ann Carol Grossman of Brookline and Arnie Reisman of Natick, tells the stories of cosmetic rivals Helena Rubinstein, who was Jewish, and Elizabeth Arden, who was not. The Jewish Women’s Archive in Brookline produced the documentary “Making Trouble,” profiling Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and four other female comics.

Humor kicks off the festival with the comedy “Sixty-Six” at the opening gala
Oct. 30. This British coming-of-age story stars Helena Bonham Carter and is set during the soccer final of the 1966 World Cup in England. Coincidentally, the festival’s finale on Nov. 11 also is a coming-of-age story set against the background of the World Cup.

The comic drama “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation” is the story of a soccer-crazed 12-year-old boy who is left in the care of an elderly Jewish man during the 1970 World Cup in Brazil while his parents hide from the repressive military regime. It is this year’s Brazilian entry into the Oscars for Best Foreign Film.

If you go

What: The Boston Jewish Film Festival
Where:Showcase Cinemas Randolph, the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the West Newton Cinema, AMC Framingham 16, Arlington Capitol Theatre, and Hollywood Hits Premiere Theatre in Danvers
When: Nov. 1-11
Details: General admission is $10 for each film or $9 for students, seniors and MFA, BJFF and WGBH members. Opening and closing night films are $20 and $15. Advance purchase is recommended and several pass options are available. For schedule and tickets, call 866-468-7619 or go to bjff.org.

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